You Are There: SATB Choral Octavo

Ed Lojeski's arrangement captures the warmth and sophistication of Mandel's composition while making it genuinely singable for mixed choirs. The jazz idiom here never feels complicated or show-offy; instead, it invites singers into the lyrical, conversational quality that defines the best American songwriting. Your ensemble will discover how jazz harmony and phrasing can feel as natural as breathing.

The piece has an intimate, conversational quality that draws listeners into a specific moment. Mandel's melodic gift shines through; you'll find the tune lodging itself in singers' and listeners' minds long after the final chord. There's sophistication without pretension, warmth without sentimentality.

SATB choirs looking for repertoire that bridges concert singing and jazz sensibility without demanding soloistic virtuosity. This arrangement works equally well for college auditioned ensembles, high school show choirs transitioning into more sophisticated jazz repertoire, and community adult choirs seeking contemporary material with substance.

• Treat the chord extensions and alterations as expressive tools rather than obstacles. The seventh, ninth, and altered chords aren't there for complexity; they're there to color the emotion of the text.
• Shape phrases across the bar line. Jazz-influenced writing often requires singers to ignore traditional metric accents and instead follow the arc of the melody and lyric.
• Balance the voices with care for the jazz sonority. The alto and tenor parts carry significant harmonic responsibility, so make sure those lines sing through without getting buried.
• Let the rubato breathe. Lojeski's arrangement likely includes expressive freedoms typical of good jazz writing; give singers permission to shape their phrasing alongside the accompaniment rather than rigidly locking into a click.

Pair this with other standards or contemporary jazz charts to build a focused set that explores the American songbook through a choral lens. It works beautifully as a concert closer or as part of a themed program exploring jazz composition. The six-page score is compact enough to learn quickly while offering enough musical substance to reward careful rehearsal.

• Reading and singing jazz harmony (chord extensions and alterations)
• Phrasing across bar lines and metric boundaries
• Balancing harmonic voices to support jazz sonority
• Responding to expressive freedoms in rubato-inflected writing
• Connecting lyric and melody in sophisticated popular song styles